The state of full fitness for the Manchester City squad did not last very long. City achieved a 3-1 Champions League win over FC Copenhagen last night, but it came with a price, as both Jack Grealish and Bernardo Silva limped off early due to injury.
Grealish earned his first starting assignment in more than a month, but he had to be subbed off after just 21 minutes due to a groin issue.
Chelsea FC at Manchester City FYIs
Kickoff: Saturdayย Feb. 17 , 5:30 pm, Etihad Stadium
Team News: Chelseaย ย ย Man City
Starting XI Predictions: Chelseaย ย Man City
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
PL Form, Standing Chelseaย WWLLW, 10th, 34 ptsย ย Manchester City WWWWW, 2nd, 52 pts
Googleย Result Probability: Chelseaย ย 12%ย ย Drawย 16%ย ย Manchester City 72%
Meanwhile Silva, who got himself on the score sheet, took a heavy hit to his ankle during the later stages of the game. Man City are set to host Chelsea FC on Saturday.
“I didn’t speak with the doctor but it looks muscular with Jack,” said City manager Pep Guardiola. “The last few days his mood in training was much better.
“He felt it on the grass and started to complain. The players can feel it immediately if it’s muscular. He wanted to continue but we didn’t want to make the damage even worse. We’ll take tests tomorrow [Wednesday]. Bernardo has a big knock on his ankle.”
So while Grealish and Silva present themselves as two new fitness concerns for the Cityzens, they are also the only fitness concerns that the squad has.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank.ย Heโs also theย author of โTransatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,โ andย โNo, I Canโt Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.โ
He currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him onย Twitter.
